


Meeting with Mischeif

by Bethakinz



Series: Life and Times of a New Stark [2]
Category: The Avengers (2012), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-01
Updated: 2013-02-21
Packaged: 2017-11-28 19:22:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/678014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bethakinz/pseuds/Bethakinz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maria Stark is very much her father's daughter, maybe worse. She has her choice of any man at the bar and the one she chooses will change her life. Whether the change is good or bad... we just have to wait and find out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_**Maria POV** _

My biggest problem with being rich was the fact I always had to do things I didn't want to do. For example, tonight I have to go to some stuffy rich people party full of old guys, their gossiping wives, and their very bitchy daughters. To be honest, I don’t think it helped that the last time I went to one of these things I punched some girl in the face… Yeah, after that my popularity level dropped severely.  I looked at myself in the mirror. My reddish hair was pulled up in a tight (slightly uncomfortable) bun and my black cocktail dress was so tight I could barely move.

“Bruce! I’m not going!” I yelled down the hall.

He stomped into the room “Maria,” he sighed “do you have to do this _every_ time? You aren’t getting out of this party; you already didn’t go to the museum opening you were invited to this month.”

“But _Bruce!”_ I whined

“No ‘buts’. You are a grown adult and there are certain things expected of you.”

I huffed _“Fine.”_

“Good, now go play nice with all the other geniuses.”

“Hammer Jr. is _so_ not a genius. I doubt he can even get dressed by himself.”

Bruce shook his head in exasperation and walked out of the room.

So I ended up going to the stupid Hammer Tech charity thingy (I actually have no idea what the event is for). I got out of my limo and zipped past the cameras as fast as I could. I walked and absorbed my surroundings. Justin Hammer (Jr.) to my left, open bar to my right, gossipy women straight ahead. I turned to the right and sat right in front of the bartender.

“Can I get a shot of tequila?”

She raised her eyebrows “Sorry, I don’t have any.”

“Oh, elegant party…right. Um, Vodka martini?”

She smiled “I can do that.”

“Actually, can you just put straight Vodka in a martini glass and pretend it’s a martini?” I dropped a hundred in her tip jar.

She laughed and filled the glass; she even added olives for good measure. “Preparing for a long night?”

“ _Very_ long.” I began drinking my “martini” and glancing around the room for the new notch in my bed post. Hmmm, ugly…married… sleazy…been there done that… I was about to settle on an attractive black guy in a really expensive suit when a new man sat at the bar. I crinkled my eyebrows and looked at him. I had never seen him before in my life. He had smooth, jet black hair that looked striking against his ivory complexion and brilliant green eyes. He met my eyes from across the bar and gave me a small smile, I couldn’t help but smile back. I stood up and made my way through the crowd to sit in the stool next to him. He turned toward me when I plopped down next to him.

“I’ve never seen you before.” I remarked

He nodded “I’m not really the type to get invited to these sort of things.” His voice was incredibly silky and smooth.

“God, I wish I didn’t get invited… How come you got invited to this?”

“I made a few good investments here and there, one of them was in Hammer Tech.”

“And you made money? With Hammer Tech?”

“Yes,” he looked as surprised as I did “the man may be a moron but the government sure does like throwing money at him.”

I laughed “Yeah, one of the world’s great wonders is how he didn’t run that business into the ground.”

“Indeed.”

“I’m Maria.” I reached my hand toward him and he shook it firmly.

“My name is Loki.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

Maria POV  
“Your name is Loki?” I said skeptically “That’s unfortunate.”  
He laughed “My name isn’t that bad. Loki Laufeyson is pretty elegant sounding.”  
“You’re worried about your name sounding elegant? What are you, gay?”  
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion “Happy?”  
“No gay like-... You’re not from around here are you?”  
“No, do I put off that ‘New Kid in Town’ vibe?”  
“Not too strongly. Where are you from?”  
“Um… up north.”  
“Um? You had to think about it?”  
“No, I had to think of something that answered your question but still left me sounding mysterious.”  
“Oh, is that what you were doing?” I laughed  
Loki and I talked for hours, which is weird because I am not a big conversationalist. We talked about politics, philosophy, science, music, traveling. He had been all over the world. He told me about Spain and Portugal, we talked about his time in the Isles, he described different spice trades in the Far East. He had been everywhere, places I have never even seen.  
“You have money, why don’t you travel?” he inquired  
“Well, I would but I don’t have the time. I have a business to run and things to create. My entire life would fall apart if I wasn’t holding it so tightly together.” The conversation became suddenly solemn.  
I looked around at the room. Almost all of the other guests had left and the staff had begun cleaning up. I looked over at Loki and smiled “You wanna take off?”  
He smirked back at me “Sure.”  
He stood up and helped me off of my stool and we made our way toward the door. Once we were outside I took a deep breath of the crisp air and a shiver ran down my spine. I guess a strapless cocktail dress wasn’t much protection from the cold.  
“Here” He handed me his coat  
“Thank you.” I put the coat on and basked in its warmth. It smelled divine. Loki didn’t know it yet… but he was so getting some action tonight. I chuckled at the thought and he looked at me curiously.  
“What?”  
“You are just so polite and gentleman-like.”  
“And that’s funny?”  
I looked up at him and changed the subject “You are really big. How tall are you?”  
He shrugged “About 6’2” or 6’3”.”  
“Impressive… You wanna get coffee?”  
“You are a strange human being.”  
“I try.”  
“Sure, I would love to get coffee with you.”  
“Good, because I wouldn’t have taken ‘no’ for an answer.”  
“I figured as much.”  
We walked down to a little corner coffee shop and got a couple drinks to go. Loki, very graciously, offered to walk me home. We drank our coffee and started talking about our education. He was working on his teaching degree in Government and Economics and he wanted to teach High School. This was strange to me because I hadn’t even had the nerve to finish school, much less teach it. I talked a little about my Ph.D. in Engineering and my various degrees in Genetics, Quantum Physics, Thermonuclear Astrophysics, and Liberal Arts.  
“You have got quite a variety of knowledge there.” He muttered  
“I like to learn.”  
“But you dropped out of high school and got a G.E.D.”  
“I like to learn, I hate school.”  
We walked up to my building and Loki’s eyes widened in awe. The Avengers tower had a tendency to do that to people.  
“Oh, when you said Stark I didn’t think Stark Stark I just thought you were just Stark.”  
“Yup, Tony Stark was my father.”  
“Your dad was Iron Man.”  
I couldn’t help but smile like crazy “No one seems to remember him for that. They always remember that he was a playboy or that he created the most powerful weapon ever. They never remember that he put his life on the line everyday saving hundreds of people. Stopping villains in their tracks.”  
“Kinda hard to forget.”  
He walked me up to the door and was looking a little nervous. I wonder if the Stark thing freaked him out. I turned and faced him.  
“Thank you for making this night the least miserable of my life.”  
He chuckled “I do my best.”  
He met my eyes and his large grin faded into a soft smile. He leaned down slightly and just barely brushed his lips against mine before he stood straight again. That little gesture made my lips feel all tingly.  
“Would you like to come in?” I asked. The implication was clear.  
He shook his head “No.”  
“Oh.” I looked at the ground, confusion and disappointment flooded my face.  
He leaned don’t and whispered in my ear “Because Miss Stark, I want a little more than one night from you. Besides, I think you are worth the wait.” His hot breath fanned across my cheek and he could probably hear my pulse racing. He told me goodnight and made his way home. I pushed through the doors and got into my elevator in a daze. It binged at my floor and I stumbled out.  
Bruce as sitting on the couch reading over some blueprints.  
“Hey Bruce, what are you still doing here?”  
“Finishing up some work. What’s wrong with you?”  
“I think I’m in love.”  
“Oh God.” He sighed  
“Yes, some god definitely had to make him.”  
“And you didn’t bring him home yet?” he asked in slight shock  
I would have been offended if I thought he didn’t have a good point. “He didn’t want to come in.”  
“Really?”  
“Yeah, he told me ‘I was worth the wait’”  
“I’m starting to like this guy. What’s his name?”  
“I can’t tell you.”  
“Why not?”  
“Because it will jinx it.”  
“You can’t actually believe that-“  
“Shhh! No jinxing.”  
“Fine, can I at least know what family he is from?”  
“Laufeyson.”  
“Laufeyson? That sounds familiar. Have I met him before?”  
“Doubt it,” I glided through the living room “Goodnight Bruce.”  
“Goodnight Maria.”


	3. Chapter 3

Maria POV  
I rolled out of bed in the morning and shuffled my way to the kitchen. Bruce was drinking coffee and reading the paper. I put a couple Poptarts in the toaster and opened myself a bottle of scotch.  
“No hangover?” he asked without looking at me  
“None, I didn’t even finish one drink last night.”  
He glanced up at me “Really?”  
“Didn’t find the urge to.”  
“I don’t know who this man is… but you should marry him.”  
I laughed “I’m gonna go to the lab and see the results of the diagnostics I had Jarvis run.” I grabbed my Poptarts and my bottle and made my way for the exit.  
“Do you really need that entire bottle? You have to be killing your liver.”  
“Okay dad.”  
“I may not be your father but it is my job to take care of you.”  
“I am a grown adult; I can take care of myself.”  
“22 is barely what I would call a ‘grown adult’. Just promise me you’ll eat something healthier than Poptarts sometime today.”  
“Blah blah blah, okay okay.” I started down the stairs  
“And drink some water because I know you don’t hydrate when you work all day!” he shouted as I sealed the door to the lab.  
I rolled my eyes “Jarvis?”  
“Yes, Miss Stark?”  
“Hey, how did the diagnostics go?” I made my way to my computer table and brought up the screen  
“Quite well, you seemed to work out the kinks in the wings of the suit. Their shielding abilities have expanded from only vital organs to the entire front half of your body. Your back still has some vulnerable spots, I recommend trying a different shape.”  
“Too late now, I’m called the Iron Angel Jarvis. The wings have become iconic.”  
“I guess. I also took the liberty of adding some features to your little ‘icons’”  
I sighed “Only my father would program you with sarcasm. What kind of features?”  
“Well, I added a feather like design that-“  
“You added a design?”  
“It is very rude to interrupt people.”  
“I apologize sincerely. Please continue.”  
“The design is very bird-like-“  
“Jarvis? How do you know what birds look like well enough to copy the structure of their wing span?” he didn’t answer “Jarvis?”  
“I often watch Animal Planet in my spare time.” I feel like most people would have found this comment funny, I found it terribly sad. Jarvis had never been outside before.  
“You have spare time?”  
“I always have spare time, I have the ability to perform thousands of functions at once but I am never asked to do more than a couple at a time.”  
“Oh.”  
“May I continue?”  
“Yes, of course sorry.”  
“As I was saying, I altered your wings to have extremely sharp feathers. When they are extended they can cut through nearly anything, when they are pulled in they are completely harmless.”  
“Bitchin’. How do I control whether they are extended or not? I could barely get them to cover me before.”  
“It simply attaches to your spinal cord and connects to your nervous system.”  
“What!” I yelled at the ceiling  
“It is perfectly safe and you will be able to control the wings like they were your own limbs.”  
“Um, Jarvis, have you ever heard of a Dr. Octavius? He did some similar work in this area… He had the mechanical arms, they eventually took over his mind and he went crazy. Sound familiar?”  
“Yes Miss Stark, I am aware of his work. Unlike you I was actually alive at the time. I have completely fool proofed the wings and there is no possible way that would happen.”  
“You did all of this?”  
“Yes.”  
“On your own?”  
“Yes.”  
“It’s like you don’t even need me anymore. I feel like I am being replaced.” I said in mock sadness as I scrolled through the diagnostic results. He had done a fantastic job.  
“I already learned once that you Starks don’t last forever.”  
“Oh…” The tone of sadness in his voice was shocking. I had always treated Jarvis like he was human but it never occurred to me that he might have emotions. “Jarvis? Do you ever miss him? My dad, Tony?”  
He hesitated before answering “…All of the time.”  
Jarvis had known my father longer than I had been alive, even if my dad had no one, he would have Jarvis.  
“Jarvis, is it strange that I have this intense urge to hug you right now?”  
“Yes considering that I don’t have a body.”  
Then it hit me “Jarvis, do you want a body?” Just as the words escaped my mouth my computer started beeping. I had an incoming video call. “Jarvis don’t think this conversation is over.”  
I answered the call. It was the fat lady at the front desk, Ms. Higgins.  
“Hello Ms. Higgins.” Higgins was a bitter old woman that hasn’t liked me from the start, but believe me, the feeling is mutual.  
“Stark, you have a message.” Always one to exchange pleasantries (not).  
“Really? From who?”  
She smiled (it was kinda creepy) “From this very nice young gentleman, he said his name was Mr. Laufeyson.”  
“Oh! What did he say?”  
“He wanted to know if you would meet him for lunch and if so he will meet you here at around noon.”  
I huge smile split my face “If he stops by again will you tell him I accept his invitation.” She nodded and ended the call. “Jarvis! What time is it?”  
“About 11 o’clock.”  
“Ah!” I ran up the stairs, past a startled Bruce, to my room and jumped in the shower. I cleaned up as fast as I could and wrapped the towel around my waist and ran back into the living room.  
“What time is it?”  
“11:15.What’s the rush?”  
“Lunch date. What do I wear?”  
He looked up at me from his spot on the couch “I hope more than a towel.”  
“Bruce! You are being no help!”  
“Sorry, um, I would go for that blue blouse thingy with those lacy pocket black shorts.”  
“Oh yes! The blue sweater makes my boobs look great.”  
Bruce rolled his eyes “I was thinking it brought out your eyes, silly me.”  
I ran back into my room and put on the black short but it took me a while to find the blouse. There was a knock at my door. “Higgins says your date is here.” Bruce yelled  
“Eeep!” I put on my converse, grabbed my bag, and ran out the door. I collected myself in the elevator so when the doors opened I looked perfectly serene.  
I saw him and smiled brightly “Hey Loki.”  
“Hello Maria.” We exited the lobby “Any place you would like to go?”  
I thought for a moment “Have you ever tried shawarma?”  
He laughed. I raised my eyebrows in question but he ignored me “No, I’ve heard of it, but I have never had any.”  
“It’s this really good meat stuff. You can get it in like wraps and sandwiches and stuff.”  
“Sounds like a plan. Would you like me to hail a taxi?”  
“It’s okay, it isn’t that far away.” We began walking in a comfortable silence and I glanced at him from time to time when he wasn’t looking. He was wearing a gray shirt with blue jeans and a leather jacket, he previously slicked back hair was curly and disheveled. I liked the look.  
We soon entered the shawarma restaurant and ordered our food.  
“Wraps or sandwiches?” Loki asked me  
“Wraps.”  
He turned to the cashier “Two shawarma wraps and two medium cokes.” He paid and we waited for our orders to be ready. For some reason the owners kept looking at us. Did they remember when I smashed in their window when I was nine? In my defense, my dad was egging me on the whole time and we did pay for the damage in the end. We got our food and went outside. Loki sat on the curb and patted the spot next to him.  
“Best seat in the house.” He offered  
I laughed “Oh Loki, you sure know how to treat a woman.” I sat next to him  
“Middle-Eastern fast food and a cozy sidewalk, sounds good to me. Plus, it’s not about where you go; it’s about how you spend the time. “  
“Is it really? Well, thanks for the dating tips.”  
“It’s true. Would you rather I took you to some fancy restaurant but bored you to death?”  
“Good point.”  
“So, Maria, tell me about yourself.”  
I looked at him “Well, what do you want to know?”  
“I guess… start at the beginning. What was your childhood like?” he looked sincerely curious  
“Well, I was born and raised in Malibu. Mostly it was me and my dad but, every other Avenger did their part in raising me. By the time I was 10 I could hit a target, make a jet pack, and beat up most anyone.”  
“Serious skills for a kid that age.”  
“It was normal to me.”  
“What happened to your mother?” I could feel my face form a scowl “Sorry, to personal?”  
I shook my head “It’s okay. Um, she left.”  
“Left? Do you know why?”  
“After my older brother died, he was only about 8 at the time, she packed up and left. My dad wouldn’t stop being Iron Man and she didn’t want to watch while his job killed him. So, she packed up and left. I don’t know why she didn’t take me with her but, I’m glad she didn’t. I mean I had an amazing childhood! At Christmas most kids have grandparents and stuff come over, I got superheroes! Spiderman was at my birthday parties, Captain America would babysit me, we invited Thor to Thanksgiving.” His eyebrows furrowed when I mentioned Thor and I tilted my head “What’s wrong with Thor?”  
His eyes widened a little bit “Nothing, just… would he even know what most of your holidays were?”  
I laughed “That did take some explaining. That and how to properly use technology. He and Steve got in so much trouble with technology, it was ridiculous. It didn’t last long though. When my dad died it all kinda… fell apart.”  
“How did he die?”  
“Someone put a bomb underneath his work bench, as soon as he moved it went off. It only took seconds for our house to go up in flames. I got shuffled around in foster care until one day I just took off.” I wanted to change the subject to a happier tone “What about you? How was your child hood?”  
“Not quite as interesting as yours. I spent a lot of time looking for approval that I wouldn’t get. It turned out it was because I was adopted and my father didn’t really want me.” He said it in such a light-hearted tone it was almost funny “It was worse because I didn’t find out until I was an adult.”  
“Really? They didn’t tell you?”  
“I know, that’s what I thought. If they had told me from the beginning it wouldn’t have been a big deal.”  
“Weird… So your dad sucked, what about your mom?”  
“My mother? She was amazing; she never treated me any different from my brother. Actually, looking back, I think she may have liked me better. I was her more introverted son.”  
“What was your brother like?”  
“Everyone loved him and I mean everyone. Even me, I would have followed him into hell. He was very charismatic and arrogant, always got me into trouble. His ego was unimaginably big and he never understood the idea of cause and effect; never took any responsibility for his actions.”  
“Am I allowed to not like him?”  
He laughed “Be my guest, you would be the first. I hear he’s gotten better.”  
“You hear?”  
“I haven’t seen him in years… I haven’t seen any of my family actually.” The sun was beginning to set  
“Wow, we’ve been out here for hours.”  
“I better get you home.” He stood and helped me up “Can I see you tomorrow?”  
“Wanna meet me at my place? I could make you dinner. Bruce is supposed to be leaving on a trip tomorrow morning.”  
“It’s a date.”


	4. Chapter 4

_**Maria POV** _

Bruce finished packing his final suitcase "Are you sure you don't wanna come?"

"Believe me, I'm sure. I have no great desires to go sit at a table with a bunch of stuffy old guys and get treated like a child. Sorry if it just doesn't sound fun to me."

"Understandable."

"Plus, I got a hot date tonight." I wiggled my hips suggestively

Bruce sighed and shook his head "Steve is coming over sometime today, I think you need to explain to him how to use a cell phone again."

"Maybe an IPhone was a little to much. But, it has provided us some serious entertainment."

He laughed at the memory "Yeah, it took him twenty minutes just to turn it on... _Anyway_ , Corey is probably gonna come pick up those targets you made for him."

Oh yeah. Corey had been testing out the new explosive arrows I had made him (he needed smaller, more accurate blasts) and blew the center out of most of his targets.

"I totally forgot about that."

"I know you did, why do you think I take the time to remind you? If your head wasn't firmly attached to your shoulders..."

"Bruce, don't you have somewhere to be?" I asked sarcastically

"Fine, I'm leaving." he kissed my forehead "Don't do anything you'll regret."

I smiled "Don't forget to live." And with that he was out the door.

I sat spinning in the bar stool and I had a sudden thought "Eureka!" I jumped off of the bar stool "Jarvis?"

"Yes, Miss Stark?"

"You know how on the hologram computer screen, I can pick stuff up and pull stuff out?"

"Yes, I am familiar with the technology."

"Well, if I can touch the hologram why can't the hologram touch me...or other stuff?"

"I'm not following?"

I groaned "Jarvis, try and keep up. If I-" the elevator doors opened and Steve stepped through "We'll talk about this later Jarvis."

I ran up and jumped into Steve's arms "Steve! I thought you didn't love me anymore! You were gone for so long! I thought there was no chance for your return!" I yelled

"Hi Maria. Any chance you could get off of me?"

"Why? So you can run out and leave me again? NEVER!"

"Maria, I'm not as young as I once was."

I looked him in the eye "Yeah, because you look _so_ old." Something about gamma radiation slowed the aging process, more in Steve than in Bruce but probably because Bruce's dose of gamma just didn't...end up the same.

"Just because I don't look old doesn't mean I'm not old enough to be your great-grandfather."

"Ooo, I like older gentleman." I wiggled

He raised his eyebrow at me "You are more and more like Tony everyday."

I jumped off of him "Thanks, I try."

"...I'm not sure that was supposed to be a compliment Maria."

"I wasn't either, but I decided to take it as one." I sat down on the couch and Steve sat beside me

"So, I heard you have a gentleman coming over later." He gave me a disapproving look

"Wow, news sure does travel fast... Oh, stop looking at me like that. I am cooking him dinner, that's all."

"Mhmm, how well do you know him?"

"More than most people I shack up with, I mean I know his last name and everything."

Steve's eyes got really wide and his voice really stern "Maria-"

"Steve, I'm joking...mostly." I mumbled the last part

He sighed in relief "What's his name?"

"Laufeyson."

His eyebrows furrowed "...Laufeyson, why does that sound familiar?"

"That's what everyone says. Anyway, he is a perfect gentleman and we get along....And he is hotter than-"

Steve interruppted me "Okay, I get it, the perfect guy."

"No, not perfect, but I think that's why I like him. He is perfectly...screwed up."

"Is he a drug addict? Alcoholic? Workaholic? Sex maniac?"

"You mean is he anything like me? No."

"Well, that's a relief. Then, as long as he makes you happy, you have my blessing."

I smiled "Thank you. Now, what's wrong with your phone?"

He groaned "I can't get the stupid thing to turn on."

"Mhm, when was the last time you charged it?"

"Like...two days ago."

"My dear, this is an IPhone, not charging it for an hour is pushing it." I stuck it on my IPod charger and sat back down "This isn't like other phones, it does to much to not need to be charged often."

"But, you only have to charge yours twice a month and it does more than mine does."

"Yeah, but I created my own phone. Apple is crap compared to anything I make."

"Oh." It was funny how much he looked like a little kid

"I think I am going to downgrade your phone, get you something simpler."

"Please." He begged

I laughed "I'll see what I can do."

*     *     *

(Later that evening)

I had steak marinating in the fridge, the salad was already made, bread already sliced, potatoes already mashed, and Loki would be here any minute. The elevator doors opened, I got excited and looked to see who it was.

"Oh, it's just you Corey." I sighed

"Sorry to be such a disappointment."

"Your new targets are in the lab, your new arrows shouldn't blow through these quite so easily."

"Not gonna offer me a drink, ask me how my day was...anything?"

"Nope, I want you to get your targets and get out." he stood there waiting for a moment "What are you waiting for?"

"Oh, you're right Maria, let me just go _look_ for them."

I groaned inwardly "Sorry, I forget you can't see sometimes."

"Yeah, being blind is a real bitch." I shook my head and went downstairs into the lab I grabbed the new targets and made my way back up stairs. Halfway up I heard Loki's laugh, and Corey's.... I bursted up the the stairs and Corey was in the middle of telling Loki a story...about me.

"- and then she pulled out a straw and snorted the whole line of cocaine right in front of us, and she didn't understand why we all looked shocked."

"Hey Corey, here are your targets, 'kay bye." I handed him the targets and shoved him in the elevator. He was chuckling and the elevator doors closed. I hoped they drug him straight into the seventh circle of hell.

I looked at Loki and he was grinning mischeviously "Well, he was quite a character. Sibling?"

I sighed "More or less, I grew up with him but he is actually a Barton/Romanov baby."

He nodded " _So_ , you do coke?"

"It's not as bad as it sounds."

"It sounded pretty bad."

"Well, you were never supposed to hear the story. Plus, I haven't done any hardcore drugs in at least a month....I should just shut up now, shouldn't I?"

"It may be safer that way." he laughed "So, what are we cooking?"

"Well, we are going to use the grill on the balcony to make some steak." We made our way out to the balcony and Loki set all of the food on the table. I put the charcoal on the grill and doused it with gas. I struck the match and...nothing. I struck another match...same result. "Grr, I can start hundreds of fires on accident but when I try to start one on purpose..."

Loki gently pushed me out of the way "Step aside woman," he said in a fake manly tone "Your estrogen intimidates the fire."

"Is that so?"

He struck a match and it lit on the first try "Yes, you see, fire is easily made nervous by overly attractive women."

"What you mean to tell me is 'man make fire good'?" I said in my best caveman voice

"Well, if you want to simplify it like that then, yes, that is exactly what I mean."

"Thanks for saying it in the least sexist way possible."

"I try." I sat down and he threw the steaks on the grill. Once the food was done I brought out the plates and silverware and we sat down to eat. We spent the first few minutes eating in a comfortable silence. The food was good, the company was nice, a very nice evening if you ask me.

"What was life like after your dad died?"

"Well, you know about the foster care and me running away."

"I mean after that."

"After that?"

"Well, I was a twelve year old living on the street. I seemed to fend for myself pretty well, I always ate _something_ at least once a day. I was about thirteen or fourteen when I met Jerome."

"Jerome?"

"He was in his late twenties and _super_ gay. He was running an underground drug and fighting ring, there was a little prostitution but not enough to make the big bucks. He took me in and told me I could stay if I did stuff for him. At first I was just a delivery girl, take drugs here or send a message there. One day, one guy I was bringing some drugs to got a little handsy...so I broke them."

"You what?"

"I broke his hands. Both of them, I was fifteen and he was a big man. Jerome heard about it and he was ecstatic, I was his new money maker. When I turned eighteen, for my birthday, he bought me a ticket to New York and a map of the city. He told me he would miss me and stuck me on a plane. I still don't really understand, I was making him serious money and he just sent me on my way telling me I was ment for bigger things. I still write to him on occasion, he told me if I ever needed to blow off some steam that I could come back and kick the crap out of someone in his ring."

"You didn't have the easiest childhood."

"No, but I definitly didn't have the hardest."

"And then you became a superhero."

"Well..." This shocked me, no one had brought up the fact I was Iron Angel before

"You haven't made a public statement about it but... I assumed if anyone had access to the suits, it'd be you."

"Yeah..." I pushed the rest of my food aside

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

"No, it's okay. Just, everyone knew that my father was Iron Man and look what happened."

"I understand."

That pretty much wrapped up that conversation. When we were done eating he helped me clean up. We started talking about all the books we had read...and there were a lot. We were washing the dishes when he said something very...interesting.

"I have read hundreds of books from here but what I'd really like to do is read up on the Midgardian lore."

"The what?"

His widened slightly "Nevermind."

I furrowed my eyebrows about to push the question but he sprayed me with water. I gasped "Cold!" I glared at him and he snickered "That sounds like a challenge!" I grabbed a bowl and filled it with water and threw it in his face. This started an all out water war but he was wearing a white shirt...so I didn't mind. Even with all of the slashing and giggling, his comment was still bouncing around in my mind. After we dried off Loki was about to leave. We stood at the elevator saying our goodbyes and he kissed me. It was soft and very quick. He must have known what a tease he was because he was grinning like an idiot while the doors closed on him. Once I was sure he was out of hearing range, I decided to do a little research.

"Jarvis, define Midgardian."

"Midgardian: The term Asgardians use for the people of Earth."

"Asgardians? Like Thor?"

"Yes Miss Stark, Thor was an Asgardian."

"Hmm, is there a name Laufeyson in our data banks?"

"No Miss."

I sat in thought for a long moment, both Steve and Bruce recognized the name."What about Loki and the Avengers?"

"One moment...There are seven results for that search in my data."

"Which is the most relevant?"

"You probably want the first Avengers mission file."

"The _first_ first one?"

"No Miss Stark, the _third_ first one."

"I am going to ignore that comment. Which Avengers were involved?"

"Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye."

"Wow, pre-Spider Man. That is old. Give me the run down of what happened."

"The god of mischief Loki, son of Odin, brother of Thor,wanted to take over the world using the tesseract to unleash an army called the chitauri. Using the power from the arc reactor that Tony Stark and Pepper Potts installed to run Stark Tower, he opened the portal and nearly destroyed the island of Manhattan. He was eventually pounded into the floor by a very green Dr. Banner and the chitauri defeated."

"What are the other results?"

"There is some security footage labled 'Reindeer games fed concrete by giant green rage monster'. Would you like me to pull it up?"

"Yeah." I walked toward the screen. Loki was standing yelling something at the Hulk. Hulk listened for about two seconds before picking Loki up and smashing him into the floor. The only words I could really make out were 'puny god', which, while kinda funny, made my stomach churn. Loki was that puny god... but _of course_ he was!

"Jarvis, I really need to change my taste in men."

"I have been thinking that for years, Miss Stark."

 


	5. Chapter 5

**_ Maria POV _ **

"Jarvis? Did Loki have a cell phone on him when he was here?"

"Yes ma'am."

"WIll you trace it and give me a location? I'm about to go busting heads and taking names."

Jarvis sounded skeptical "Miss Stark, do we need to have that talk about looking before we leap again?"

"No Jarvis, I know exactly where I'm leaping. There is a bad guy in town and it is my job to handle bad guys."

"And, of course, you have formed no kind of emotional attachment to this man at all."

I scoffed "Of course not, not only after three dates."

"Miss Stark, when was the last time you had a relationship that lasted more than three dates?"

"Um...never. But, that is beside the point."

"What is the point?"

"He is evil, my job is to fight evil. Now, how should I approach this matter?"

Jarvis sighed (which was weird because he didn't breathe) "I feel that the normal Stark method may be to forceful for this situation. Assuming you actually want some sort of information on Loki's plan of action, I would take a mor Natasha Romanov method."

"Fair enough." I grabbed a gun that was strapped to the bottom of the bar and tucked it in the back of my pants "Got an address?"

*                                          *                                                  *

I was standing on the sidewalk in front of the entrance of the apartment complex. It wasn't exactly what I was picturing for his evil layer.

"Nice place." I mumbled to myself. I walked into the lobby. It wasn't _super_ fancy but, it was clean and cozy looking. I walked up to the guy at the front desk. "Laufeyson?" I mumbled.

He pushed a couple buttons on his computer "4B."

"Thanks." I shuffled over to the elevator. The whole home-y feeling was throwing me off. I hit the fourth floor and stepped out of the elevator. Time to man up. I stood in front of 4B and turned the handle, it was unlocked. Who doesn't lock their door in the middle of the night in New York? I stepped in and shut the door quietly behind me. I glanced around and didn't see him. The kitchen and living room were unseperated by any walls which would be good if this ended up getting violent. I also silently took note of how well furnished the place was... but, we can talk about that later. I heard motion in another room so I jumped up on the counter to a beam going across the ceiling. I balanced myself and squated down. Loki leaned against the counter as if to inspect the granite.

He sighed "You know Maria, it is _very_ hard to sneak up on me." He turned and looked at me

"Well, then that makes this a lot more difficult doesn't it?"

"After my poor choice of words earlier this evening I knew it wouldn't be long before you found me."

"Yeah, that was awfully sloppy of you."

"I got to comfortable, it just slipped."

I pulled my feet from out under me so I was sitting comfortably on the beam "Why in the world would you get comfortable in your enemies house?"

"You weren't an enemy, just a very attractive girl I liked to hang out with."

"So, I was a girl you liked that just happened to be raised by your greatest enemies?"

"I wouldn't call them my greatest-"

I rolled my eyes "Sorry but, I don't believe that for a second."

"What?...That they weren't my greatest?"

"No. The fact that you dated _me_ for no reason. Everyone has a reason... most of the time it's money related."

"I had no reason except that you were easy on the eyes and nice company. I didn't even know who you were until I dropped you off at the tower that first night."

"Hmph. What are you doing back here?"

"I'm kind of on everyone's 'shit list' right now and no one would expect me to come back here, now would they?"

"I guess. No secret agendas? No evil schemes?"

"No, no major ones anyway."

"Mhmm. Loki, you beeing the god of lies and all... I don't believe a single word your saying." I dropped down from the beam. We were standing nose to nose (well, my nose to his neck really) and staring eachother down. I was trying to keep my glare menacing but his was so soft and calm that it was kind of hard to keep it up. I reached behind me and my fingers wrapped around the gun's handle. I pulled the gun out quickly but, he knocked it out of my hand and pressed me face down against the counter.

He pressed his lips close to my ear "Well, that wasn't nice." I shoved against him and he stumbled backwards. I took a swing at his face followed by a roundhouse kick; he dodged both with ease. He laughed, "I don't really feel like your trying." The bastard was enjoying himself.

I smiled and aimed a jab straight into his nose, I hit him this time "That better."

He kept laughing "Much." He swung toward my face but I ducked quickly. I spurted forward and took him to the floor. We rolled around trying to attack in any possible way. Punches and kicks were flying everywhere. (and the occasional bite) We had to have been doing this for at least an hour. Blood and sweat were getting in my eyes. The sick thing was... I was kind of having fun too. I was letting off a lot of built up stress and anger. When I had finally got on top, he put his feet on my chest and shoved me off into the nearest wall. He jumped up quickly and pinned me to the wall. He had ahold of my arms and put his legs so they were keeping mine in place. I wiggled and squirmed but couldn't get out of his grip.

He laughed "Give up?"

"Define: give up." I panted. He laughed again before suddenly....we were making out. It was warm and wet and tasted a little like sweat and blood, but it was still kinda nice. I know I should have fought against this, I know I could have gotten away if I _really_ wanted to do so. The only problem was, I didn't want him to stop... and he didn't. One thing lead to another... and we ended up naked on the floor staring at the ceiling.

"Well," I exhaled "That was eventful..."

He nodded "Indeed." He looked as shocked as I was

"So, your an evil god from another planet that tried to take over the world."

"Another dimension really but, yes."

I thought hard for a long moment "I have definitely dated worse." 


	6. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well guys, its been fun. Keep an eye out for the next part!

_**Maria POV** _

I was laying on my couch with an ice pack between my legs and a heating pad on the back of my neck. The elevator doors slid open and Bruce charged out with suitcase still in hand.

"Maria! Loki Laufeyson! Evil! I remember!" He was out of breath

"Bruce," I looked from my spot on the couch "I already got it taken care of."

"Oh." he set his suitcase down

"You sound disappointed. Looking for a little action?"

"No...I mean, not really. Just, how many of these stupid meetings are you going to make me go to alone? They are the most boring things, I used to be a super hero and there was nonstop excitement and now..."

I stood up leaving my ice pack and heating pad on the couch. I hugged Bruce and kissed him on the cheek. "You'll always be _my_ hero Bruce."

"You're just saying that because I went to that meeting for you."

"Well, that and other things. You've always had my back Bruce."

He smiled at me "It's my job to look after you."

"Alright! Enough sappy stuff, I'm not good with emotion. You hungry? Airline food is crap so you must be." I turned and walked toward the kitchen

"Damn, must have been some fight. You're even walking funny. Didn't you wear the suit?"

My back was to him so I didn't hide my smile.

"No, barely wore anything at all."

 


End file.
